Looking For Love
by varsitylove16
Summary: Sam finds a new friend who also happens to be the new girl. She's soon kidnapped by the Decepticons and they change her in a way no one thought possible... Lowered rating.. for now.
1. Chapter 1

I'm starting a _real _story for once! Woo-hoo! Please review, but don't be too mean ;D

*sigh* Still don't own Transformers or Camaros or vanilla lattes or etc... Just the story line and Tara.

ps ~ I'm just rating it M for later, just in case...

Enjoy! =)

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**  
BEFRIENDED

Tara hated moving. Moving meant a new town, a new house, and worst of all, a new school. At every other school, she was either completely ignored, or she was teased and snickered at. Usually around four months, people would start to talk to her and befriend her. Of course, that was when her dad would get promoted and they'd move clear across the country to some random ass town in the middle of nowhere. This was the fifth time she had moved in a span of three years, and she was getting utterly sick of it.

Today was her first day of high school in Tranquility, even though it was already mid-April. Typically, she forgot to get an agenda with the school map in it, so she was pretty much lost.

While wandering around, a hand grabbed her shoulder. Tara screamed and pulled herself free. "What are you doing?!" she screeched, whirling around to face the offender. The young man immediately let go and jumped back a little, his big brown eyes widening with surprise. "I-I'm sorry. I thought… Mikaela…" he trailed off, his voice cracking on the name.

Tara noticed the tear stains on his cheeks. Tears were gathering in his eyes, threatening to spill over, and his face was a shade of red. He was obviously really upset about something. Her anger melted away, replaced by concern.

"It's okay, but are you?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. The boy quickly wiped his face with his sweatshirt sleeve and stiffly nodded. "I haven't seen you around school," he stated, quickly changing the subject. Tara managed a half-hearted smile as she took a hesitant step towards him.

"Yeah, I just moved here from Fremont."

"Oh, uh, I'm Sam," he mumbled, looking down at the ground. Tara took a single finger and placed it under his chin, lifting it so he was looking her straight in the eye. "Tara. Do you know where room one twenty-seven is?"

"Room one twenty-seven… Oh! I, uh, have that too, so you can, like, follow me there, I guess," rambled Sam. Tara giggled at his insecurity. "Oh, come on! Am I that intimidating?"

Sam looked back at the ground and sighed.

"No. You just remind me of… somebody."

"That Mikaela girl, huh?"

He looked back up at her, eyes now filled with an unknown resentment.

"Just come with me."

Tara trailed alongside him, trying to be as silent as possible so as not to upset Sam even more. He walked quickly, avoiding eye contact with pretty much everyone in the hallway.

* * *

'_How the hell did I mistake Mikaela for this girl?!' _thought Sam, furious with himself. 'S_he probably thinks I'm some desperate, crazed idiot!' _

Sam snuck a glance at Tara from the corner of his eye. Now that he truly looked at her, he could see how much she differed from… He shook the name away and focused on the teen walking beside him.

Tara's face was angular, but not pointy, with a nice little ski-slope nose and small, plush lips. Her skin was tanned to a golden brown, befittingly accenting the red highlights in her long, dark brown hair. Tara's body was like Mikaela's – damn her for invading his mind again – but more petite, height and width. She was wearing skinny jeans and a black long sleeve shirt that hugged her body nicely.

Sam had to admit, the new girl was pretty hot.

What really caught his attention were her eyes. They seemed to glow, almost like the Autobots' optics, but they were a green-blue color. Tara's eyes reminded him of the ocean and Bumblebee. Sam almost laughed at the vision of his guardian as a mermaid, but was able to restrain himself to a small chuckle. Tara looked at him, once again quirking an eyebrow before shrugging and gazing elsewhere. Sam smirked.

Things were starting to perk up.

* * *

The two strolled into class, catching the attention of everyone already seated. As if on cue, almost everyone started whispering and gossiping.

'_Here we go a-fucking-gain,' _thought Tara.

She almost jumped as Sam put his arm around her shoulders, almost protectively, and led her to the back of the classroom. Taking a seat, Tara wondered if she should thank Sam or stay quiet. She decided to go with the latter. A girl walked in, sending a nasty glare in Sam's direction. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, all his confidence from earlier completely crushed.

That must be Mikaela.

Tara leaned over and gave Sam's arm reassuring pat. "She looks like a prostitute with that scrap of fabric as a skirt," she whispered. He chortled a little before going back to his depressed state. Tara frowned, trying to think of a way to cheer the poor guy up.

"Want to get coffee after school?" she asked. Sam gave her a bewildered look.

'_Did I go too far? Oh shit…' _she thought.

"Sure, but isn't the guy supposed to ask out the girl?"

"Neh. Whatever."

She theatrically rolled her eyes and Sam laughed for a good half minute. Tara saw Mikaela peer back at them, jealousy in her eyes. She smirked and patted Sam's arm. He turned to look at her. "Hu-"

Everyone in the class gaped as they saw Tara pull Sam into a kiss. After a couple seconds, she released him from her grasp. Sam sat back in his chair, a big smile plastered on his face. Tara swore she could see little flames in Mikaela's eyes and grinned. She knew that was pushing it pretty far, but hey, why not?

'_What now, bitch?' _thought Tara, her evil grin widening on her face. '_Make my buddies mad or sad and you pay._ _You will _always _pay.' _

_

* * *

_Sam grabbed the eggnog blended cream and the vanilla latte, and walked back to the small café table. Tara was sitting there, putting her hair up into a ponytail. Sam froze, almost dropping the two drinks in his hands.

"You-You have a tattoo?!"

The whole coffee shop turned to look at him, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. Tara turned around with a somewhat annoyed expression on her face. She got up and dragged him over to the table.

"It's just a freakin' tattoo. Calm down!"

"Can… Can I see it?"

"Not right now!"

Sam cringed at Tara's outburst. She sighed and sat beside him. They both drank their beverages in silence for a minute until…

"When did you get it?"

Tara put down her drink, annoyed again.

"I got it a year ago in Kauai. At first I was a little scared, but it was so cool looking… So I got it."

Sam nodded before asking, "Can I see it now?"

She growled and turned around. Under her neck and between her shoulder blades, was a picture of two intricate flame-like patterns. They were each facing opposite directions, with a space in the middle. Sam gently touched the spot.

"Was something supposed to be here?" he asked softly.

Tara turned back around to face him again. "Yeah, but it's kind of embarrassing," she said, shrugging. He smiled.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

She smiled back. "Well, I'm waiting until I get married so I can put my initials there," she said meekly. Sam nodded and went back to sipping his latte. Tara knew that this was a sensitive subject, but asked anyways.

"So… What exactly happened between you and Mikaela?"

Sam's eyes darkened as he held his cup in both hands. He explained everything that happened between the two of them, excluding the giant alien robot parts. About going from 'I'm really glad I got in that car with you' to 'What the hell do you want now?'

Tara wiped a stray tear away from his check before hugging him. She reassured him that she was probably just in it to make Trent jealous. After a few minutes, Sam was as gleeful as before. The two sat and chatted about random things, from school to candy. Half an hour later, they were finished with their drinks and threw the empty cups in the trash.

"Need a ride home?" asked Sam. Tara didn't have a ride, so…

"Yes, please." She said with a smile.

Tara followed Sam to the parking lot, a comfortable silence settling between them. Sam opened his car door and sat inside. She stopped walking and gasped. He was sitting in a 2010 Camaro, painted a golden yellow with black racing stripes. Sam got out of the Camaro and briskly walked over to Tara. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern coloring his voice.

"You… You have the Concept Camaro?!" she squeaked.

Sam laughed and led her to the car, opening the door for her. "Don't worry. He doesn't bite," he said. Tara looked up at him with surprise. "This might sound funny but… You named your car too?" she asked, blushing. Sam paused. '_Aw _shit. _Now he thinks I'm crazy,"_ she thought. He grinned back at her. "Yup, his name's Bee," he stated. Tara relaxed and sat in the passenger seat. "That makes sense, with the sweet paint job and everything," she said, closing the door behind her. Sam walked around the car and sat behind the wheel.

_Whoooo are you? Who? Who? Who? Who?_

Tara stared at the dashboard in confusion. "What the-"

"It's glitched. The radio system is glitched," Sam interrupted. She raised an eyebrow, but shook her head, settling into the seat. When Tara wasn't looking, Sam cuffed the dashboard.

_Two weeks later…_

'_Ask her… No! What if you get rejected? Just take the risk! Yes! No! Yes!'_

Sam hit his head with his book. Tara looked up from her notes and frowned.

"Hey now, you're losing all your brain cells! You need them for the test, sweetie."

He looked up at her with a grin. '_Here goes nothing…_'

"Will you… Will you be my girlfriend?"

His voice was shaky, and he was sure that his face was red. Tara threw her notes aside and pulled him into a hug. "I was wondering when you'd ask," she purred. Sam's face went back to its normal shade as he hugged her back, relieved. Now there was only one thing left to show her.

He had followed Optimus Prime throughout the base for a week now, pleading for him to let Tara meet the Autobots. At first, Optimus absolutely refused, stating that it would be too dangerous for her, especially if Starscream came back to Earth with reinforcements. Plus, he didn't want the Autobots' secret to be spread even more. Sam had already showed his parents and Miles. Optimus eventually gave in to Sam's insistent whining, saying that if Tara told anyone else, Sam would be locked in the med bay with Ratchet for a whole month. He would never forget Sam's face, jaw dropped and eyes as big as dinner plates.

"Hey, Tara?"

"Hmm?" Tara looked at her now boyfriend.

Sam stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her up as well. A mischievous grin formed on his face.

"I want to show you something."

* * *

End Chapter One

**pairings: **SamxOC

How's that for a first chapter? Good? Bad? Review!


	2. Chapter 2

And here's chapter two!!!!

Don't own anything but the storyline and Tara. No I don't own Transformers... *sniffle*

Enjoy! =)

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**CHAPTER TWO**  
MEET THE FAMILY

Tara couldn't stop her leg from bouncing even if she tried. She felt like she had excited butterflies that drank too much caffeine in her stomach. Excitement and nervousness were clouding her mind as she tried to guess what Sam's surprise was.

'_Car? Too expensive. House? Yeah right. Date? Hmm…'_ she thought.

Whatever the surprise was, it was taking a while to get to. Tara glimpsed at Sam, who was currently sitting in the driver's seat, whistling to a song on the radio. She wondered how Sam could see out the windshield since it was tinted so darkly, but she wasn't going to ask.

The car slowed to a stop, and Tara let out an excited squeal. Sam turned to his girlfriend and held her hand, squeezing it a little. "You ready?" he asked, sounding a bit eager himself. Tara nodded, bouncing in her seat. The doors opened and the seatbelts unbuckled by themselves. Gasping, Tara froze with fear. Sam was already at her door, gently tugging her out.

"Please don't scream," he pleaded. Tara opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He directed her a couple yards away from the car before facing it again.

"Tara, I'd like you to meet Bumblebee."

"What-"

She was cut off by the sounds of gears whirring and metal pieces clinking. The Camaro started shifting forms, the metal of the car folding and flipping. What used to be an automobile, was now a giant robot; a _giant fucking robot_ that was standing right in front of them.

Surprisingly, Tara didn't scream. She only whimpered as her knees buckled beneath her. Sam quickly knelt beside her. "Tara?!" he asked frantically. She lifted a shaky finger to point at the figure before them.

"W-What… What…" Tara couldn't find the words to say as she gawked at the android. Sam took her finger and pulled it down. He helped her stand up again, giving her extra support. "This is Bumblebee. Don't be afraid, he won't hurt you. I promise," he uttered. The said robot kneeled, one hand on his knee, and the other held out. Sam softly nudged Tara towards Bumblebee. She looked back at Sam, who nodded at her encouragingly, and slowly walked towards Bumblebee. The mech's eyes seemed to brighten with each step she took. She stopped as soon as she was just mere inches away from Bumblebee's hand. Turning around, she breathed, "What now?"

Bumblebee overheard Tara's words and uttered a mechanical chuckle, startling Tara in the process. "I believe you 'shake hands' when you first meet someone, am I correct?" he inquired. Tara stared up in amazement at him. His voice was… entrancing to her. She nodded and shook his finger. Sam walked up beside her and put his arm around her hips.

"Ready to meet everyone else?"

Tara looked at him, appalled. "There are more of them?!"

* * *

Bumblebee walked into the base, followed by Sam and his girlfriend. The two guys decided that they were going to introduce the rest of the Autobots by size, smallest to largest, so as not to scare Tara. Well, so as not to scare her _too _much. First on the list: the newly resurrected, Jazz.

Bumblebee and company strolled into Jazz's quarters. The silver saboteur sat up in his berth and smiled. "Whassup Bee, Sam!" he greeted. Bumblebee moved his leg to reveal Tara. She glared up at the yellow mech for giving away her hiding spot before giving the other mech a small smile. The silver mech gracefully jumped out of his berth with a stylish flip. "Show off," grumbled Bumblebee. The other mech guffawed. "So who's the new kid?"

Bumblebee amiably pushed Tara forward with his foot. She would get vengeance later…

"Yo, I'm Jazz," announced the saboteur, who was now at eye level with her. "I'm Tara," she stated. She could feel her cheeks heat up. '_Damn my shyness_.' Jazz cackled at her blushed cheeks.

Next: Ratchet.

Bumblebee blocked the twosome from going any further. "You might want to stay here," he mentioned. The 'bot cautiously rounded the corner and entered a door. Sam and Tara heard a clanking sound and cringed. Then, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY MED BAY?! OUT! **OUT**!"

Bumblebee ran back out, followed by a yellow-green colored mech, whom was currently waving around jumbo-sized wrenches. The mech stopped as soon as he saw the cowering humans. He seemed embarrassed.

"Oh! Hello, Sam. And who might this be?" he queried, hiding the tools behind his back. Sam stepped forward.

"Tara, Ratchet. Ratchet, Tara."

Ratchet nodded in greeting. "Hello, Tara. It's nice to meet you."

The mech was obviously trying to cover up his little temper tantrum by being as mannerly as possible.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you, too."

Ratchet gave another nod before turning towards Bumblebee. "Next time, _tell _me when you have visitors." Bumblebee, still rubbing the new dent in his helm, replied with a meek, "Yes, sir."

Next: Ironhide.

"If Ironhide is sleeping, I _refuse _to be the one to wake him up," whispered Bumblebee. The two teens nodded as they walked beside the scout. Tara felt a little uneasy about meeting this Ironhide character. If he was as grumpy as Bumblebee claims him to be, he probably won't be very welcoming to her. Sam laced his fingers in hers and gave her another comforting smile.

'_As long as Sam stays with me, I'll be okay,'_ she thought. '_And if things get out of hand, I can always hide behind him.'_

The sound of metal-on-metal contact rang through the corridor, echoing. Tara lifted her hands to cover her ears, eardrums ringing from the sound. Bumblebee, now splayed out on the floor, was groaning about his processors aching. A big, bulky black mech was standing before him, staring down at the scout. "Uh… Oops," grumbled the black mech. He pulled Bumblebee up, and looked at the two humans, giving them a friendly nod.

'_Why does everyone nod when I meet them?'_

"Sorry 'bout that Bumblebee," he muttered. Bumblebee let out a frustrated sigh. "Ironhide, this is Tara, Sam's new girlfriend," stated the yellow mech in an annoyed tone. Ironhide narrowed his optics and cuffed the scout upside his head.

"Ow! _What the frag_?! "

The older mech smacked Bumblebee in the helm again. "_Don't _give me attitude, _youngling_! And watch your language!"

The smaller mech once again stroked his head, pouting, making little robotic sniffling sounds. It reminded Tara of a little kid after getting scolded.

Next: Optimus Prime.

Bumblebee was refusing to talk to Sam, but he _was_ complaining to Tara.

"I swear to Primus, if I get hit in the head _one more time_…" he stopped talking, probably thinking of ways to get revenge on Sam.

The scout gingerly knocked on the door the three had stopped in front of. The door slid open with a hissing sound, creeping out Tara. Bumblebee crouched and held out his hand, palm up. Without hesitation, Sam climbed up onto the hand and sat down. Tara just stood there, looking at the hand nervously. The scout made a confused clicking sound. She slowly inched her way over and took a seat next to Sam.

"Don't worry, Optimus is big, but he's one of the most gentle and affable 'bots around," chimed Bumblebee, standing up.

Tara looked down and squeaked, grasping Bumblebee's thumb for dear life. She absolutely _hated_ heights.

"Hello, Miss Reeves. I'm glad I finally get to meet you."

She looked up from the yellow mech's hand and almost screamed. Big was an understatement. The red and blue mech towering over them was immensely HUGE. Bumblebee was barely taller than the giant's desk.

All three males noticed Tara's gawking and instantly took action. Sam pulled her into a hug, murmuring that Optimus was a good guy and he wouldn't hurt them. Bumblebee made a bunch of soothing clicking and bleeping sounds. Optimus just stood there, worry distinct on his face.

A few minutes later, Tara had calmed down and actually talked to Optimus without a trace of fear. She was sitting on his desk, looking up at the commander in awe.

"So… How many of you are there?" she asked, truly curious. Optimus frowned. "There were thousands of Cybertronians, but because of the war, we've been reduced to a mere seventy, if not less," he sighed, dejectedly. Bumblebee made a sad sounding series of clicks and bleeps. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Please don't apologize. It's not your fault," rumbled Optimus as he looked down at her, giving her a small smile. Tara returned the smile. A small snoring sound came out of Bumblebee's hand. The trio looked into the scout's hand and saw Sam, curled up and sleeping. Tara checked her cell phone to see what time it was. Eleven fifty.

"Oh, _shit!_ My dad's gonna kill me!" she shrieked.

"What time is your curfew?" asked Bumblebee, handing Sam over to Optimus. The distressed girl whimpered, "Midnight."

Bumblebee transformed into his Camaro alt. mode, chuckling. "I'll get you home in five minutes, tops. Trust me."

Optimus let Tara climb onto his hand and lowered her to the ground. Sam awoke from his sleep, slightly confused. "What… Where am I?" he asked. Tara giggled and grabbed his hand. "Come on sleepy head! We have to go home now." Sam tilted his head to the side, still dazed.

Tara, still giggling, waved at the Autobot leader. "Bye Optimus! It was a pleasure meeting you."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, too, Miss Reeves," he called out. She shook her head at the mech. "Please, call me Tara."

Optimus smiled back at her. Bumblebee opened his doors. "Eleven fifty-three…" enunciated the scout, a little irritation in his voice. Tara's eyes widened. "_Crap!_" She turned and ran back to the car, practically diving in. As soon as the two teens sat down, the doors shut and the seatbelts strapped them down. Bumblebee accelerated out of Prime's office, internally smirking at Optimus' peeved face.

* * *

End Chapter Two

**pairings: **SamxOC

Chapter 2 reviews? Yes? Please?!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter numero three!

Transformers, F-22s, Saleens, etc. don't belong to me. Storyline and Tara DO.

Enjoy! =)

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**  
ABDUCTION

"Did you enjoy your visit, Tara?"

Tara stared back at the radio, speechless. Sam noticed his girlfriend's discomfort and cut in. "It's Bumblebee! He can talk to us through the radio," he interjected.

She relaxed back into the seat and sighed. "This is going to take a lot of getting used to," she griped. Soft laughter came through the speakers. Tara smiled and patted the dashboard. "I did in fact enjoy my visit."

"That's g- OH _SLAG_!"

Just then, something struck the side of Bumblebee's alt. form, causing him to flip and roll off the highway. Searing heat spread through the interior, painfully burning Sam and Tara. The passengers let out pained screams as they were jostled around inside of the car, the jerking sensation pulling them every which way. Tara held on to the seat, terrified, while Sam braced against the steering wheel. It was like they were on some kind of demonic roller coaster.

Bumblebee finally stopped rolling and opened his doors, ejecting the teens out of himself. The scout quickly transformed, immediately dropping his battle mask and activating his cannon. His cannon fully charged and he took aim, shooting at something that was unseen by the two beings shrinking behind his legs. A dark figure suddenly tackled Bumblebee, causing the scout to accidentally clip Tara in the head. She flew back and instantly fell unconscious.

Sam rushed to her side, frenetically trying to wake her up.

"Tara?! TARA!" he cried out.

Blood was slowly trickling down her head and onto Sam's lap. "Shit! NO!" he wailed. Sam took off his jacket and firmly pressed it up against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. "Stay with me, you hear me?!"

A high-pitched cry was heard in the distance, followed by the booming sound of afterburners. A police car sped to a stop in front of Sam and transformed.

Barricade_. _

Sam let out an animalistic growl and stepped forward, shielding Tara to the best of his ability. He _refused_ to go down without a fight. The Saleen bellowed with cackles. "Stand down, fleshy. I could squish you like a bug right now if I wanted to," threatened Barricade. Sam glared up into the mech's optics, fierce determination in his eyes. "Never," he hissed. Barricade laughed again; playing with the boy's emotions was too much fun. "I'll admit you have a lot of bolts for a meat bag, kid. But that doesn't make up for your lack of size and strength," he teased. Barricade noticed the girl Sam was standing in front of and smirked.

"Was your mate not good enough for you?" questioned Barricade in a taunting tone. "I didn't know you were that kind of guy, fleshling. Maybe you've got some Decepticon in you."

Sam grabbed rocks and started pelting them at the police mech, earning a roar of irritation from the 'con.

"I don't have time for this!" snarled Barricade. He lunged forward to grab the boy. Sam dove to the side, effectively escaping Barricade's grasp. The Decepticon picked up Tara's limp body and flashed Sam a wicked grin. He threw her up into the sky, and was caught by the awaiting Starscream. The boy's horrified face added to the two Decepticons' amusement. "Say good bye," said Starscream, his voice oozing with arrogance.

Both 'cons transformed and sped away, Barricade on ground and Starscream in the sky. Sam cried out to the sky, calling his girlfriend's name, and violently cursing the two that had taken her. Once the engine was unheard and the F-22 was out of sight, he started sobbing hysterically. They had taken her. They had taken Tara.

The rest of the Autobots soon arrived, questioning Sam about what had happened. The boy remained silent, refusing to talk. Everyone left him alone after he chewed out Ironhide for repeatedly asking him what happened. The weapon specialist was agitated, but left the raging boy without another word. He himself knew what it was like to lose a loved one on the battlefield, never finding out what was to become of them.

The drive back to base was quiet, too. Optimus never once questioned his passenger, letting him slowly release his inner fury. Bumblebee, still off-line, was riding in the bed of Ironhide's alt. mode. Losing his love and having his best friend considerably injured must have been taking a high toll on the poor boy.

* * *

Tara slowly awoke, her head throbbing in pain. She was weak and drained of energy. It felt like she just got hit by a car or something. Oh wait. She did.

Lifting her hand to her head, she could feel the still tender wound on the top of her head. The contact caused Tara to wince and she quickly pulled her hand away.

"The human is alive, my Lord," said someone in a metallic monotone.

Tara tilted her head to see who had spoken. It was a blue mech, with a glassy chest covering and a facemask. "Bumblebee?" she whimpered. Another mech stepped forward; this one was silver, and had wings. "Your mate's useless piece of scrap of a vehicle is not here, fleshling," he snapped.

"The name's Tara, metal head," she retorted.

The mech clenched his fists as some kind of ray transformed out of his right arm. He pointed the null ray at her. "You better start learning your manners, _meat bag_, or I _will _dispose of you myself. And you _will _address me as _Lord_ Starscream. Do you understand me?"

She dilatorily stood up, ignoring the screaming pain in her head. Tara waited as the two mechs just stared back at her. "Well, are you going to shoot me or not?" she said provokingly.

Starscream shoved the null ray into her stomach. Tara could feel the heat as the ray charged up. "Why do you not fear for your miserable life?" asked Starscream, puzzled by the human's behavior. Most humans either tried to run or fainted when he threatened them. She smirked up at him and uttered a dark chuckle. "Why should I? You know you won't shoot me. You'll most likely keep me as a hostage, a bargaining chip if you will," she articulated.

'_Smart fleshy,'_ thought Starscream.

To her surprise, Starscream pulled his hand back as the ray folded back into his arm. "State your full name," he demanded.

"Tara Lynn Reeves. Who's he?" she questioned, nodding towards the blue mech.

"Designation: Soundwave," acknowledged the mech. Soundwave picked her up, bringing her to eye level, or in this case, eye to visor level. "Lord Starscream needed a test subject."

She stopped squirming in his hand and looked back at Starscream. "Test subject? What the-"

Tara's jaw dropped and her skin paled. Lying on another table was a robotic body. A _female_ robotic body. Tara started kicking and screaming with all her might, desperately trying to get out of Soundwave's grasp. "No! NO!" she wailed. Starscream let out an evil cackle. "Good bye, Tara," he declared. A needle pricked her arm and she instantaneously blacked out.

Having overheard the human's cries, Barricade entered the room, curious. "How do you plan on turning the fleshy into a femme?" he asked his voice gruff as usual.

"When the Cube landed on this pathetic wasteland, a wave of its energy was distributed throughout the planet. Therefore, all humans and wildlife were implanted with sparks. None of the primitive technology on this planet can detect Allspark energy, so none of them even know they have sparks. Theirs are located in the center of their hearts. If my calculations are correct, we will have about one breem to take the spark out and replace it into the spark casing of the new body without it extinguishing. Of course, we need to remove all organic matter from the spark so it doesn't get infected," explained Starscream.

Barricade gave him a doubtful look. "Are you sure a human body could withstand that extensive of a procedure?" he queried.

"It's not the human I'm concerned about, it's the spark!" snapped Starscream.

Both Barricade and Soundwave cringed at his voice. Starscream took a deep breath and sharply exhaled.

"Just get to work," he said in his usual haughty tone.

* * *

End Chapter Three

I know, I know. Taken by Decepticons not that original... But I needed it.

**pairings: **SamxOC

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Aaaaand... I'm back.

Transformers, Audis, etc. don't belong to me. But Tara and storyline.. MINE!

Thank you **chimeraone**, **BobbyBomber**, and **Celestial Access **for reviewing. Luv ya!

Enjoy! =)

.

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* * *

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**CHAPTER FOUR  
**VERTOBLADE

'_Not again, dammit.'_

Tara groaned as she opened her eyes. She couldn't recall anything that had happened after she awakened the last time. The last thing she remembered were those two mechs, Starscream and Soundwave. Were they good or bad?

She sat up and shook her head. This was all too confusing. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the bright lights in the room. Tara was in some kind of medical room, but it seemed to be made completely of metal. Complex tools were lying all around, covered in some kind of luminescent blue liquid. Rags were thrown carelessly onto the floor, also covered in that strange blue liquid.

A red blob in the corner of the room caught her attention. Tara was engulfed in utter revulsion and horror. The form was _her; _her thrashed human body just thrown recklessly to the ground. She was lying in a pool of blood, the fluid originating from a giant gash in her chest. Her skin was paper white with smudges and splatters of red. The eyes, open but only revealing white, caused an overwhelming gagging sensation to come over Tara. Another crimson form, significantly smaller than the body, was lying only a few feet away.

It was her heart.

Screams of pure dread escaped Tara's throat, ringing throughout the room at an ear-piercing decibel that could have surely shattered glass.

That couldn't be her. It _couldn't_ be. She was alive; alive and staring back at her mutilated body. '_How was this possible?' _

The sound of footsteps pounding against the ground approached, and four mechs entered the room, weapons raised at her. Tara let out another shriek and rolled off the table she was laying on, landing with a loud thud. "Lower your weapons. It's just the femme," said the familiar arrogant voice. She peeked over the table, still shaking with fear. "S-Starscream?" she whimpered. The winged mech slowly approached her, and said, "Keep your weapons offline, femme."

Tara looked back at him, perplexed. "Weapons? What weapons? And what did you do to my body?!" she screeched, pointing back at the body lying in the corner. Starscream narrowed his optics in suspicion. "You don't remember anything, do you?" he asked. Tara feebly shook her head. His frown turned up into a smirk. "Good."

With that, Starscream and the rest of the mechs left. Once they were gone, Tara reached out to the table to help her stand up. Instead of her fleshy hand, a sleek metallic one was held out. She gasped, her breathing getting shallower and faster, as she opened and closed her hand. The mechanical one repeated the same actions. Tara gaped at the rest of her body. It too was lustrous and metallic, with smooth curves and plating over sensitive wires and circuitry. She was a… a robot, just like them.

Robot.

Memories flooded through her processors with amazing force, stunning her. She could remember everything; vivid images flew through her mind about how Starscream threatened her, how Soundwave picked her up and told her about Starscream needing another soldier, and the body; the femme body. The figure was black, highlighted with streaks of silver.

Tara glanced back at her body. It was the same one. She was about to scream again, but she restrained herself. Starscream would most likely do something bad to her if he found out she regained her memory.

The door hissed open and Tara ducked behind the table again. '_Please don't be Starscream. Please don't be Starscream. Please don't-_'

"Hello?"

That voice was unfamiliar to Tara. It was too subtle and calm to be Starscream, and too human-like to be Soundwave. She stood again, and faced a tall white mech. His friendly glowing blue optics were a relief to Tara. All the red eyes were really starting to creep her out.

"Ah, are you Tara?" he queried. She slowly nodded before asking, "Who are you?"

"I am Skyfire, a scientist," he stated. "I was sent in to give you a systems check and keep an eye on you throughout the base."

"So you're pretty much my babysitter?" asked Tara, a little annoyed. The white mech chuckled. "You could say that," he affirmed. Skyfire seemed to give her an once-over before writing something down on a datapad. "Seems like all your systems and processors are functioning at full capacity. You're all set," he alleged. Skyfire turned around and walked back towards the door.

"Wait!"

Skyfire turned around and glanced at Tara. "Yes?"

Her shoulders slumped as she stared up at him with big optics. "What do I do now?" she questioned. He grinned at her cluelessness before walking back towards her. "Well, I could teach you how to transform," he suggested. Tara nodded vigorously. "Please?"

"Alright then. But first, we need to find an alternate mode for you," he said with a happy tone.

She gazed back at him, brow ridges knitted in confusion. "Find me a who what?"

* * *

Tara picked an Audi R8 as her alt. mode. Skyfire spent hours on showing her how to transform from bipedal mode to car and back, how to send databursts and open comm. links, and how to hide her energy signature. He even showed her how to activate some of her weapons, which included retractable razor claws and built in laser pistols, located on each of her arms.

"Thanks Skyfire," acknowledged Tara. Skyfire glimpsed down at his pupil and smiled. "You are very welcome." She looked up at the scientist and returned the smile. "You know, you're the only nice person I've met here," said Tara. Skyfire's spark fluttered with adoration. He never got compliments in the Decepticons base. Sure, it wasn't a _real _compliment, but it was close enough. "There is no need to praise me, Tara. It's just… who I am," he stated. Tara playfully smacked his arm. "Stop being so modest," she giggled.

The two were interrupted as they got a databurst. **Skyfire and femme, report to my office. **

Tara growled at the message. "I wish he would stop calling me femme. I _do _have a name."

Skyfire sighed. "Come on, we should get going. Starscream is pretty impatient."

* * *

The duo was now sitting in Starscream's office, Tara shifting in the uncomfortable metal seat.

"Stop squirming, femme."

She stopped moving and sat up straight. Skyfire glared at Starscream. "She does have a name, _Lord Starscream_, and femme is not it," he spat. The winged mech leaned forward and glowered back at Skyfire. "Right now, she is nameless. I refuse to have a soldier in my army with a _pathetic_ human name, and you better start treating me with more respect, Skyfire. You may have been my colleague before, but times have changed," sneered the Decepticon Lord. The scientist stiffened, but did not argue further.

"What do plan on naming her then?" inquired Skyfire. Starscream leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. "What is her specialty?" he demanded. Skyfire gave Tara another once-over. "She's pretty skilled at close combat, particularly with her claws," he expounded. Starscream thought for a moment, making a slight humming noise. "Vertoblade," he declared.

"_Vertoblade?_ Couldn't you have thought of a better name than that?" accused the femme. Starscream scowled at her. "Can you think of anything better?" he snarled. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it and shook her head. "Very well then. Dismissed," said Starscream, smugly.

Tara/Vertoblade quietly growled at Starscream as she and Skyfire left his office. The white mech led her to a small room, only furnished with a berth and desk. "This is your room," he announced. Vertoblade sighed and sat down on the berth. Skyfire reluctantly turned and left her to wallow in self pity.

_One month later…_

Vertoblade writhed on the ground, gasping from the pain. The plasma blast sent by Skywarp had hit a particularly sensitive patch of circuitry in her door wing. The purple Seeker strolled up to her and kneeled. "Oh! Did I hurt you? Aw, _poor_ Vertoblade. Now get the frag up or I'll blast you again!" he scolded. Involuntarily, she stood up, only to take a point-blank shot by Skywarp. She flew to the ground again, Energon gushing out of her shoulder. This time, she screamed and grasped her shoulder. Skyfire appeared and shoved Skywarp away. He said something nasty sounding in Cybertronian to the purple mech before turning back to her. "Oh _come on _Skyfire! You can't protect her forever! She needs to learn to _fight!_" complained the Seeker. Skyfire sent a fiery glance at Skywarp. "You call _this_ training?! This is target practice! She is just a _femme_ for Primus' sake!" he yelled. His scowl turned up into a malicious smirk. "Maybe that's why no femmes ever wanted to interface with you back on Cybertron," jeered Skyfire in a vicious tone.

Skywarp gasped and aimed his plasma rifle at Skyfire. "You take it _back!_" he snarled.

"_No_."

The Seeker was about to open fire when Starscream arrived. Oh joy.

"Lower your weapons, brother," ordered the silver flier. Skywarp went into a savage… temper tantrum. "NO! You didn't hear what he said, did you?! If you did, you let me blast him to the Pits!" bellowed the purple mech. Fed up with his complaining, Starscream aimed his own null ray into Skywarp's face. "Go to your quarters or take a flight. I don't care, just _go,_" he seethed. Starscream hated threatening his brother, but the situation was getting out of hand. The stunned Skywarp stepped back and transformed, taking off into the skies.

"What did he do to the femme this time?" he asked, turning back to face Skyfire. The scientist was observing Vertoblade's injuries. He brushed against the charred spot on her door wing, earning a yelp in return. "Sorry 'Blade," he murmured. Skyfire stood and looked back at Starscream. "She has been hit by multiple plasma shots that will be healed by her self-repair, but she's taken shots to her door wing, a very sensitive area, and a point-blank shot to her left shoulder," he explained.

Starscream was already walking away. "Fix her up and bring her back here. She will resume training with Thundercracker."

Skyfire clenched his fists and locked his jaw. Once the Seeker was out of auditory range, he started swearing in both Cybertronian and English. When that was out of his system, he delicately picked up Vertoblade and began walking back towards his room.

"You don't deserve to be treated like this," he snarled.

* * *

End Chapter Four

**pairings: **_slight _SkyfirexOC. Key word: _slight_

_.  
_

This is the last weekend of Christmas break for me *sniffle* so updates won't be as quick as usual. They might be pretty slow. I'm sorry! ='(

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Finally! I got the chapter out! Sorry about the delay everyone. My bro took my laptop for a couple of days without my permission. _Stupid fragger...  
ANYWAYS_, here ya go!

Don't own Transformers, Audis, etc... You know the drill.

Enjoy! =)

~*~

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE**  
LESSONS

"Do you remember the plan?" asked Skyfire, his tone dead serious. Vertoblade looked back at him, her optics big. "I-I can't do this," she weakly protested. Skyfire held both of her shoulders and looked her straight in her optics. "You _have_ to do this, 'Blade," he declared sternly. Her shoulders sagged as she looked at the ground. Feeling guilty, he pulled her into a hug. "Please, do it for me."

She hugged him back with all her might. "B-But you can come, too! You can just say we're going out for supplies or something," she pleaded. Skyfire sighed and shook his head. "Starscream doesn't even let _me_ go get supplies. He leaves that to Barricade."

Vertoblade pushed away from Skyfire enough to look into his optics. "Then come with me. We can escape together," she begged. He once again pushed her out and held her at arm's length. "You _know_ I can't. The Seekers could easily catch up to you from the sky. I _have_ to be the diversion," he reminded her. Her form started shuddering from tearless sobs. So this was what it was like to cry as a robot.

Skyfire hugged her again, reassuring her in Cybertronian. Once her bawling was reduced to small whimpers and hiccups, Skyfire backed away from her. "Goodbye, Vertoblade."

"I'll miss you," she sniveled. Skyfire gave her a small smile. "I'll miss you too, 'Blade. Don't forget me."

She nodded and took a few steps back. With their goodbyes said and done, Skyfire transformed and took off towards the west side of the base, while Vertoblade sped off to the east.

* * *

Skyfire knew this was a suicide mission. It would only be him against the three Seekers, and possibly any other Decepticons if Starscream called for backup. Skyfire might be bigger than most of the Decepticons, but he was not made for fighting; he was meant to be a scientist. The Seekers' firepower combined would rip him to pieces in a matter of minutes, but that was all the time Vertoblade would need to escape. The longer he could survive and fight against the Seekers, the better.

Something about Vertoblade stood out to him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he felt the need to protect her. She was like… a little sister to him. The two had gotten to know each other quite well in the weeks that passed. Vertoblade would often be found with him working on one of his projects, or studying a new plant species he had found.

That was before Starscream decided that she needed to be trained to fight, and 'earn' her ranking in the Decepticons. The Decepticon Lord assigned whoever wasn't on patrol to train her; everyone except Skyfire.

_You are a scientist, not a trained combat fighter. I cannot allow you to train the femme._

He growled at the memory of Starscream's words. At least Soundwave and Barricade actually _tried_ to teach Vertoblade how to fight. Skywarp and Thundercracker just enjoyed shooting the slag out of her. Vertoblade had slowly built a never-ending pit of hatred in her spark against the two. Day by day, she became more bitter and snappy to everyone except Skyfire, earning her severe punishments. One time, she snarled at Starscream when he informed her that it was time to train with Skywarp. He gave her a lesson that she would never forget, and scars to remind her of her 'wrong-doing'.

He shook the memories away and sent a databurst to each of the Seekers, telling them to meet him at the firing range. Thankfully, none of them asked for a reason why. Each Seeker just confirmed and flew to the designated meeting area.

The first to arrive was Starscream, followed by Thundercracker and Skywarp. The two other Seekers stood back by Starscream's sides, Thundercracker on the left and Skywarp to the right.

"Well, Skyfire, what do you want?" asked Starscream in his arrogant tone. Skyfire smirked and activated his cannons.

"Revenge for a friend."

* * *

Vertoblade could see the gates of the base slowly nearing in the distance. She desperately wanted to go back for Skyfire, but if she did, the Seekers would probably tear her apart, too. The last thing she wanted was Skyfire's sacrifice to go in vain. She loved him; not like a spark mate, but like a big brother. He would always appear whenever Skywarp or Thundercracker would beat up on her. He would always fix her up after training sessions. He would protect her from any of the harsh words most of the Decepticons would say to her. Heck, he was the one who stood up for her, even if it was against the Decepticon Lord.

'_Slag.'_

Soundwave and Barricade were at the gate, chatting about who knows what. Vertoblade picked up her speed and flew by the two mechs, startling them. She sent a databurst to each of them. It was more like an ultimatum. She told them to either chase after her, or fulfill her request. Simple as that; except she explained why they should go with the latter.

To her surprise and satisfaction, neither Soundwave nor Barricade raced after her. They simply turned around and walked away.

'_Perfect.'_

* * *

For miles, there seemed to be nothing but redwood trees and the dirt road she was currently driving on. The scenery stayed the same, except for the occasional mountain lion.

Bored out of her processors, she transformed to stretch out a little. Vertoblade yawned and walked up the road, tired of being stuck in vehicle mode. As she got over the hill, she could see a small city not too far from her location. According to her human memories, it was Tranquility. The Decepticons were too lazy to give her an internal navigation system. She squealed with joy and transformed back into her Audi R8 alt. mode, immediately taking off towards the town.

* * *

Vertoblade let out a loud rev as she pulled into Tranquility. This part of the town was unfamiliar to her, but Tranquility wasn't _that _big. She should easily find her objective.

'_Now to find Sam…' _she thought.

Hours passed, and she saw absolutely no sign of him or Bumblebee. The hours eventually turned into days, and the days into weeks. Vertoblade started losing all hope in finding someone, _anyone_, she knew_._ She drove around the town scanning every face and building for signs of Sam, but there were absolutely none. To add to her chagrin, she was running dangerously low on Energon. The fuel at gas stations would poison her systems, according to Skyfire, and there was _no_ _way_ she was going back to the Decepticon base for Energon. Her only hope was to find an Autobot.

She parked in a deserted alley and quickly fell into recharge, exhausted from driving all day again. That and she needed to save up her Energon reserves. Minutes later, Vertoblade was awakened by a prodding sensation in her side. A young man, about twenty years old, was trying to pry open her door with a crowbar. She growled and swung her door open, causing the man to fly into the nearby wall. The man yelped as he collapsed to the ground. "Touch me again and I'll send your ass flying across town," threatened Vertoblade. The guy screamed and grabbed his crowbar, holding it shakily in front of him. She started to drive out of the alley, but stopped as she felt something hit her bumper.

'_Oh, _hell _no.'_

Vertoblade transformed and faced the trembling man. Her optics were flaring like flames, leaving a reddish glow upon the human. "How _dare_ you hit me!" she snarled. The man screamed a few octaves higher than a normal man would, and attempted to sprint out of the alley. Vertoblade grabbed him and held him up to her face. He started sobbing and screaming, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She growled at him and was about to crush him in her hand, but she froze. It would be unjust if she killed him. That's what a _Decepticon_ would do. It's not like he could have done any real damage to her. Vertoblade sighed and gently put the man down. He stood there and stared back up at her.

"Y-You're n-not gonna… kill me?" he squeaked. She shook her and transformed back into her alt. mode. "As long as you don't try to break into me again, then no," she said. The man stood there for another few seconds before running out of the alley.

Internally sighing, she activated her holoform and drove out of the alley to find a new hiding spot. Her sensors showed no signs of any other Transformers around her, so she shut off her Spark sensors, once again to save some needed Energon. Almost every store sign was turned off, and nobody was walking around on the streets. The emptiness only made her feel even more abandoned. Vertoblade parked on the street in front of a small dollar store and shut off her engine. She fell into a peaceful recharge within seconds.

* * *

Vertoblade slowly woke up, due to someone… knocking on her? He was a young man, definitely not the same one as in the alley, with deep caramel skin and a butch haircut. Come to think of it, he looked kind of like Chris Brown, but more mature… and _much_ sexier. The CB look-alike knocked on her car door window again, shaking her out of her thoughts. '_Why is this dude knocking on me?'_ she wondered. She realized her holoform was activated and rolled down her window.

The guy poked his head inside of the car, his face filled with worry. "Tara? Tara! What happened ta ya? Nah, wait till we get back ta base," he babbled. Vertoblade gasped. No one had called her Tara in a long time. "W-What? Who are you?" she stuttered. The guy gave her a confused look before smiling at her. "Oh yeah! Ya've never seen ma holoform before. It's me, Jazz!" he gabbed. Her holoform beamed back at the other holo. '_Finally, an Autobot_,' she thought.

"So where's the real you?" she asked. Jazz's holo pointed at a silver modified Pontiac Solstice GXP. Vertoblade revved her engine. Holo Jazz laughed and leaned on the door. "Ya don't look too bad either. Did ya get some highlights or somethin'?" he snickered. She laughed along with him for a minute. "Hey, can we go back to the base? I need some Energon, pronto," she stated, still giggling. Holo Jazz immediately stopped laughing and stared at her holo with intense seriousness. "Energon? Why would ya need Energon?" he asked suspiciously. Vertoblade sighed. "It's a long story."

"Okay… Follow me," he asserted. Holo Jazz looked around to see if there was anyone nearby before shimmering into nothing. She sighed and followed the little silver car.

* * *

The gates to the Autobot base, eerily similar to the Decepticon base, slid open and the two drove in. An unknown Autobot waved to them before turning his attention back to his post. As they got in the base, Jazz transformed and kneeled beside her, palm facing up. This was what Bumblebee did to carry her and Sam into Prime's office those many moons ago.

She backed up, shut off her holoform, and transformed. Jazz gasped and held up some kind of shield/ray thing in her face. "What did ya do to Tara, Decepticon _punk?_" he demanded. Vertoblade took a few steps back and raised her hands. "Jazz, it's me. _I'm _Tara. Remember, the new kid?" she reassured. The silver saboteur deactivated his weapon and took a step towards her. "Is… Is it really you?" he asked, still shocked. She meekly nodded. "Oh, and my name is, um, Vertoblade," she mumbled. Jazz shook his head and grabbed her arm. "We're going to Prime's office. _Now_."

* * *

Jazz knocked on the Autobot leader's door twice. Vertoblade was shaking with fear. If Optimus reacted with as much hostility as Ironhide or the twin Autobots did upon seeing her, she was screwed. Ironhide would have blown her head off if she didn't duck, and the yellow and red bots would have ripped her arms off if Jazz hadn't jumped in to defend her, telling them that she was not to be harmed.

"Come in."

Any other time, Vertoblade would have felt reassured by the commander's deep, smooth voice, thanks to their last meeting. But now… _now_ she just wanted to run away as fast as she could in the other direction.

The door slid open with the creepy hissing sound, and Jazz pulled her inside. "What is it Ja-"

Optimus looked up from his datapads, and stared at Vertoblade, dumbfounded. With a quick shake of his head, he regained his composure. "Will you please state your name?" he asked. She was confused by his manners, but blinked twice and focused. "Designation: Vertoblade... but you might know me better as Tara," she stated. Optimus' optics widened and he stood up from his desk. "_Tara?!_" he screeched. Vertoblade gasped and stepped back at Optimus' sudden outburst. That was the most emotion she had seen him display… ever. He shook his head again and sat back down. "I'm sorry for frightening you," he apologized to her. "Jazz, go get Sam and Bumblebee. I believe they just arrived at the northern entrance."

Jazz nodded at Optimus and walked out of the room, leaving Vertoblade alone with the Autobot leader. She glanced back at the blue and red mech. He wasn't as big as before. She was about sixteen feet tall, and only came up to right above his waist. Optimus looked back at her. "Come here, please." Vertoblade did as she was told and stood in front of the commander. "Do you mind if I look back into your memories and see if you really are Tara, or Vertoblade?" he asked. She hesitated for a moment before mumbling, "Ok." He nodded at her. "Turn around, please," he instructed. She turned and he accessed her dataports, going through her recent memories. She saw the memories as well, reliving every moment. They both felt her hatred towards the Seekers, and her appreciation for Skyfire. Optimus stopped when Vertoblade started to whimper at the memory of waking up in the Decepticons base.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you. I have seen enough to confirm that you really are… you. What name do you wish to go by?" he asked. She turned to face him. "It's okay. Um, Vertoblade is fine… But you can call me 'Blade for short," she squeaked. Optimus chuckled. "There is no need for feelings of unease, 'Blade," he reassured. She smiled at him.

The door slid open and they turned to look at the newcomers. Vertoblade gasped.

* * *

End Chapter Five

**pairings: **SamxOC & a little sibling SkyfirexOC

*dramatic music* What do you think happened? Cliff-hanger! Please review. =)


	6. Chapter 6

Heya people! I finally got chapter six done, thanks to the three day weekend.

Special thanks to Neon Love for giving me some ideas!

Don't own Transformers, yada yada yada

Enjoy! =)

~*~

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX  
**CRUSHED

"Hey Optimus," greeted Bumblebee as he walked inside. "I heard we got a new femme recruit. Is it true?"

Two tiny forms walked beneath his feet. They were holding hands and smiling up at Vertoblade. Both were distinguishable. One was Sam and the other…

Mikaela.

Vertoblade slightly gasped. Optimus tensed in his chair, sensing her discomfort. "Bumblebee, did Jazz meet you at the gates?" he asked. The scout shook his head, confused. "No… Was he supposed to?" The commander frowned. "Yes."

Bumblebee shifted his gaze towards Vertoblade. "So, what's your name?" he queried, slightly tilting his head to the side. Vertoblade's metal lip was trembling. "It's me, _Tara_," she whimpered. The yellow 'bot and Sam froze. The teen pulled his hand free of Mikaela's and shook his head. "It… It can't be…" he mumbled. Mikaela frowned and huffed. "What?" she asked, annoyed that Sam had let go. He ignored her as he took a few steps towards Vertoblade. "Is it really you?" inquired Sam, his voice shaky. "_Yes_!" she sobbed. "How could all of you just forget about me?"

The teen took a step back. Tears were forming in his eyes. "W- We didn't! We all thought you were _dead_," he uttered. _That_ was a verbal slap in the face. She stared back at him, anguish filling her new spark. "What? _Why?"_ demanded Vertoblade. Optimus put his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner. "We searched the entire continent for your DNA, heat signature, _anything_ that could lead us to you, but we found nothing," he explained.

She took a step towards Sam. "So you all gave up on me, and _you_ go back to _her_?" she accused, pointing to Sam and Mikaela. Optimus tightened his grip on her shoulder. The teenage girl glared back up at Vertoblade. "_I_ was the one who helped him out of depression and get over _you,"_ spat Mikaela. Her face twisted into a spiteful grin. "Just face it, he loves _me_ again."

That was the last straw.

"_How could you_?!" screeched Vertoblade. She wrenched herself free of Optimus' grasp and ran out of his office, deliberately trying to step on Mikaela on the way out. Sam pulled her out of the way just as Vertoblade's foot slammed into the ground.

"I'll get her," announced Bumblebee, already turning around.

"Bumblebee, no," warned Optimus.

The scout ignored Prime's orders and chased after her. She tried to shake him off, turning down random corridors, but he stayed hot on her tail.

All she wanted was some alone time so she could forget Sam, Mikaela, and everything that had just happened. She spent months wandering around Tranquility, looking for her lost love, or _anyone_ that looked familiar. When she got to the base, even Jazz, the most easy-going Autobot, acted hostile towards her. She had expected it from Ironhide, of course, but _Jazz?_ And when she finally found Sam, he had already moved on. _Everyone_ had moved on, as though she had never existed.

Vertoblade shook her head, causing her to slightly stumble.

Bumblebee capitalized on her mistake and caught up to her, gently grabbing her wrist. She struggled and screamed, but he kept his grip firm on her arm. The scout soothed her in Cybertronian, the clicks and warbles eventually calming her cries until they were mere hiccups. An overwhelming urge to be held in someone's arms washed over her. Vertoblade instantly grabbed the mech restraining her.

Bumblebee was left surprised, his arms lifted up and optics wide, as the small femme clung to his waist. Her arms were trembling, as so was her torso. The scout realized that she was crying, and slowly put his arms around her slim figure, returning the embrace. He started stroking her helm, a common way to pacify distressed Sparklings back on Cybertron. She snuggled her face between his shoulder and neck, taking deep breaths. The scout kept mumbling comforting words in his native tongue to her, even singing a little. The femme quickly fell asleep in his arms, due to exhaustion and lack of Energon.

Carrying the recharging Vertoblade, Bumblebee made his way to Ratchet's med bay. He requested permission to enter, which was granted by Ratchet almost immediately. "What is…" Ratchet trailed off as he saw the figure in the scout's arms. "Who is that?"

"It's Tara," whispered Bumblebee. "Could you prepare a recharge berth for her, please?" The medic hesitated before opening the door to one of the smaller berths. Bumblebee carefully set the slumbering femme inside, and closed the door. He turned around and saw Ratchet staring back at him, arms crossed and frowning. "That _cannot_ be Tara," asserted the medic. "But, it is," insisted Bumblebee. "Even Optimus thought so."

Ratchet narrowed his optics at the smaller mech and snorted. "_Thought?_ So you aren't even sure?" he accused. Bumblebee rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "Well, not entirely," he mumbled. The yellow-green mech shook his head. "Typical," grumbled the medic. Bumblebee was about to defend himself, but stopped when Ratchet held up his hand. "Go patrol or whatever you do in your spare time," he instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument. The scout sighed and sulked out of the room.

* * *

Vertoblade opened her optics and tried to stretch out, but punched something metal. "Ow," she mumbled, rubbing her hand. She tried to sit up, but her head made contact with the translucent covering of the berth. Curses flew out of her vocal transmitters at a speed that would rival one of Ratchet's cussing streaks. The capsule opened and a familiar face peered back at her. "Only _I_ can use profanity like that in my med bay," scolded Ratchet. Vertoblade cringed and he chuckled. "Was your recharge sufficient?" he asked. She sat up and nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good," he replied. The medic motioned towards an examination table. "Please, come and sit up here so I can give you a check-up." Vertoblade nodded again and hopped out of the berth. Ratchet helped boost her up so she could get on the metal slab. He noticed that she had a small Decepticon emblem sketched onto her helm and that she was giving off a Decepticon signal. "Do you still wish to be a Decepticon?" he asked. Her optics widened. "NO!" she wailed. Vertoblade shuddered and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Apology accepted. You must have some bad memories involving them," he interpreted. She meekly nodded. He eroded the emblem until it was completely gone, and repainted the area. Thankfully, Vertoblade and Ironhide were both the same color: black. The medic then reconfigured a few of her circuits and wires so she didn't give off a Decepticon signal, but a neutral one. He scanned her thoroughly and nodded. "Looks like all you need is some Energon," he stated. "You can go to the rec-room and get some." She thanked him and was about to walk out when he called her back.

"I forgot one thing," he said. "I need to access your dataports to confirm your identity. I'm sorry, but it's a safety precaution." Vertoblade sighed and walked back to the table. "But Optimus already did," she complained. He turned her around. "That might have been so, but I can probe further into your memories than he can," clarified Ratchet. She sighed again and gave him her approval. The medic searched through her memories for any hint of fraud, but found none. He broke the connection and stepped back. "Okay, you're all set to go," he announced.

"Um, where's the rec-room again? It's kind of been a while since I've been here," Vertoblade asked. "Ah, I'll call an escort for you and tell him to give you a tour of the base," conveyed Ratchet. They waited for a minute or two before Bumblebee entered the med bay. Her metallic lips curved up into a small smile at the sight of the yellow mech. Something about him just screamed 'cute and cuddly' to her. "Ready?" he inquired, tilting his head to the side like he did earlier. She nodded to him and thanked Ratchet again.

The two walked out of the med bay, side by side. They remained quiet for a little while in an awkward silence until Bumblebee whispered, "I'm sorry." Vertoblade looked at him and knitted her brow ridges. He noticed her confusion and sighed. "About Sam; it was wrong for him to move on so quickly." Her lower lip started trembling.

Bumblebee slightly cringed and mentally face-palmed for mentioning Sam. He should have known that it was too soon, that it would still be a soft subject for her.

"I wasn't even gone for a year, and he went back to her," she whimpered. "I spent weeks looking for him, and when I found him, he was with her." Vertoblade's voice cracked on the last word and she broke down into silent sobs. Bumblebee pulled her into a hug similar to the one he gave her before, softly stroking her helm and murmuring to her. She slowly pulled away and looked up into his optics. "I'm hungry," she grumbled. The mech chuckled and stepped back. "Come on," he said animatedly, "Let's get you some Energon so you don't start acting like Ironhide."

Vertoblade giggled and followed Bumblebee up the hallway and into a spacious room. A few mechs were lounging around; some sitting and watching TV, others drinking Energon and chatting. All talking stopped as the scout and femme headed towards the Energon dispenser.

"Hey Bumbles!" shouted a white mech with… ear fins? ... on either side of his head. Bumblebee twisted a knob on the machine and placed a box thingy under a nozzle. Glowing pink liquid flowed out of it and into the cube. "Yeah?" he called back at the mech. Once the cube was full, he handed it to Vertoblade, earning a small 'thank you'.

"Who's the gal?" asked the same white mech, who was now walking over to the duo. Bumblebee gently nudged Vertoblade forward. "This is Tara," announced the scout, making his statement loud enough for everyone to hear; the less intros, the better. "Hiya Tara. I'm Wheeljack," stated the mech. Vertoblade just smiled and nodded at him. "So, did you just get here from Cybertron?" he asked. She cringed.

"How about we introduce her to everyone else?" suggested Bumblebee. Wheeljack gave him a dubious look. "Okay…" he mumbled.

Wheeljack made a noise that sounded like he was clearing his throat. "Hey people! Front and center!" he shouted. The only response he got was rolling optics. A red mech chucked an empty cube at Wheeljack, and hit him right in the back of his head. The red mech burst out laughing, along with the yellow mech beside him and a few others that witnessed the shenanigans. Wheeljack whipped around and squawked, "Who did that?!"

At this point, everyone present doubled over in laughter at Wheeljack's cluelessness. Jazz, who was watching TV with a red and silver mech earlier, was the first to recover. He stood up and put an arm around Vertoblade's shoulders. "If any of ya want ta meet this pretty lil lady right here, line up!" he bellowed.

Four mechs lined up, shoulder to shoulder, in a straight line in front of Vertoblade and Jazz. The mech on the far left was blue, accented with white and orange. He had face mask that matched the blue on his paint job, and a clear visor that shielded his red eyes. The two in the middle looked pretty much exactly the same, except for their colors. The one on the left was red and the one on the right was yellow. Vertoblade remembered them as the twins who tried to rip off her limbs earlier. The last mech on the far right was the red and silver one that was watching TV with Jazz. He was also sporting a face mask.

"Alrighty! This is Blurr, our expert sniper, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, the two biggest pranksters ya'll ever meet, and Powerglide, the most conceited 'bot around. And ya'll know this is Tara. Now be nice and get acquainted," proclaimed the silver saboteur. "I am _not _conceited! It's not my fault my flying skills are the best in the galaxy!" hollered Powerglide. "Exactly ma point," chortled Jazz. He went back to the TV and changed the channel to MTV. He proceeded to watch 'America's Best Dance Crew'.

Vertoblade stared at him, somewhere between confused and amused.

"That's his favorite show," explained Blurr. She looked back at the blue mech. "Why?" she asked. He shrugged. "Primus knows. Probably because he likes to make fun of the humans," he stated. To prove his point, Jazz started cracking up and pointing at the TV. "Ha! I could dance better than that with my hands tied behind my back!" he sneered. Blurr shook his head at his comrade.

A finger tapped Vertoblade's shoulder, and she turned around. It was Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, both displaying abashed faces. "Sorry about earlier," muttered Sunstreaker. "Yeah, we thought you were a Decepticon," added Sideswipe. She gave them both a small smile. "It's okay."

The twins looked down at her with wide grins. "So… Does that mean you won't tell Prime about it?" asked Sideswipe. She uttered a twitter of a giggle and said, "I won't."

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe exchanged a high-five and scampered off. "Thank you!" they yelled simultaneously.

"Wow. You actually got the Twin Terrors to say thank you," said Powerglide. Vertoblade shrugged and took a gulp of her Energon. "Wait a minute. Where's Bumblebee?" she asked, looking around the room. Powerglide nodded towards the TV. "Bee's watchin' the tube with Jazz," he answered. Powerglide narrowed his optics at the screen. "Hey! Why did you change the channel, ya glitch?!" he barked. All he got in acknowledgement was laughter. Powerglide made a low growling noise as he glared at Jazz. "Stupid fragger," he mumbled. That only caused the laughter to get louder.

Jazz abruptly went silent, his facial plates conveying no expression whatsoever. Vertoblade took a hesitant step towards him, a little frightened by the sudden change. "Jazz?" she called out, her voice slightly cracking. He came out of his little trance and twisted to face her. "Optimus said he wants ta talk ta ya about somethin'," he said, his face and voice still emotionless. Seeing her concern, the silver mech grinned. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite," he added, chuckling a little.

Bumblebee stood up and walked to Vertoblade's side. "I'll take you there, if you want," he offered. "Um, yes please?" she uttered. The scout smiled and looked down at the almost full cube of Energon in her hands.

"You might want to finish that first."

* * *

End Chapter Six

**pairings: **none. SamxOC is no more *dramatic gasp*

What does Optimus want? Will Sam ditch Mikaela and come back to Vertoblade/Tara? Who knows? Only I do! *evil cackle*

Please review! =)


	7. Chapter 7

Okay. Sorry about the major lag everyone. The past months have been CRAZY! And I wasn't able to think of anything. My story-writing part of my brain just went down the tubes for a bit. _Anyways_, I have a few points I wanna make out.  
1: Blurr is **NOT **G1 Blurr. He is the Armada Blurr. Sorry, but I can't stand the stupid little fast-talking Blurr. Bleh.  
2: Sorry if I didn't explain some things in here right. Please don't hurt me!  
3: When I say 'thin flat metal thing', think about the metal part on iPod connectors that actually plug to the iPod. Not the USB part. I have no _effin _idea what an interface cable looks like. Or is supposed to look like. o.O  
4: Assume that Optimus data-bursted everyone in the base, telling them that Tara preferred to be called 'Blade.  
Thank you!

Transformers aren't mine. But I wish they were.

Enjoy =)

~*~

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN  
**CUSTOMS AND PRANKS

'Blade sighed as she walked into the Prime's office and sat down.

"Have you gotten all necessary repairs?" asked Optimus. 'Blade nodded as crossed her legs. Optimus made a sound equivalent to that of a human clearing their throat. "We need to discuss multiple issues. First off, your family," he said. 'Blade slightly widened her optics. She had totally forgotten about her dad. "We informed your father that you were on an educational tour in Rome. He wasn't very pleased, but he did not question further," explained Optimus.

"So my dad thinks I'm on a field trip in Europe?" abridged 'Blade. The Prime paused before replying, "Yes."

"We can either tell your father about your transformation, or we can inform him that you somehow… perished. Take as long as you want to think it over," Optimus sighed. The femme thought over her options for a minute. "I'll go with the latter," she decided.

"Are you sure? You might never get to see him again. And what about your mother?" asked Optimus. 'Blade looked down. "My mom died of cancer when I was four," she mumbled. "And my dad only cares about his stupid job."

"I apologize."

"Can we move on to the next subject, please?"

"Okay. There is the issue of your allegiance. Right now, you are a neutral, taking no part in the war whatsoever-"

"What war?" interrupted 'Blade.

"I guess I should start from the beginning. We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron, also known as 'Autobots' for short. Our race was created by the Allspark, a cube with the power to create worlds and fill them with life. At a young age, I was appointed as the Prime, and my brother, Megatron, as the Lord High Protector. My role was to govern the planet, while Megatron's was to enforce the laws and command the military. For generations, all Cybertronians lived in peace, under our rule. While Megatron was the disciplinarian, I was the one who kept things fair. Our two personalities formed a perfect balance.

"Later in our reign, Megatron began to change. His ideas were becoming more and more power-hungry. He wanted to conquer the surrounding planets, but I kept rejecting the idea. One orbital cycle, a scout from Megatron's military unit came to me and claimed that Megatron was planning to try and overthrow me. I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life by dismissing him. I didn't even give his statement a second thought. Not until Megatron banded together his most loyal soldiers, now known as the Decepticons, and started to bring havoc to the cities. Thousands died, because I was too ignorant to accept that scout's warning. I rounded up some of my trustworthy bodyguards and volunteers to form a small militia to stand against the Decepticons, and protect those that were innocent. We called ourselves Autobots. The war eventually consumed our planet, and I had no choice but to launch the Allspark into space. Megatron followed it here to Earth, where they both crash-landed in the Arctic Circle. Many years later, Captain Archibald Witwicky found him. He somehow activated Megatron's navigation system, which sent a homing signal to all Cybertronians. Megatron had also embedded the code to the cube's location on Captain Witwicky's glasses.

"We, along with some Decepticons, came here to Earth to search for the Allspark. We sought out Sam, for he held the glasses in his possession. Luckily, Bumblebee found him first. We discovered that the cube was in the hands of a government group called 'Sector Seven'. Bumblebee was eventually able to retrieve it and regroup with us. Our last battle was in Mission City. Most Decepticons were destroyed, along with my brother, but unfortunately, so was the Allspark. Without the Allspark, we cannot revive our home planet. That is why we reside here on Earth."

'Blade stared back at the Autobot commander, letting the information sink in. "Wow," she breathed. "I am not pressuring you to do anything; I just want you to think about what you want to do. You can stay neutral as you are now, or you can join one of the factions. It's all up to you, and don't let any of my men or I influence you otherwise. If someone tries to, please let me know," he informed. The femme nodded and sighed.

"There is one more thing that needs to be explained," stated Optimus. 'Blade knitted her brow ridges. "What else can be explained? You just went through, like, the whole history of Cybertron!" she moaned. Optimus frowned and clasped his hands together on his desk. "I could explain the rest later, if you would like," he suggested. 'Blade quickly realized her mini faux-pas and shook her head. "No no! Will you please continue?"

The Prime nodded. "You are the first femme that many of my men and I have seen in many, many vorns. So, if someone is talking to you or staring at you in a way that makes you uncomfortable, you have every right to tell them to stop. If they do not, please alert me so I can take care of the situation."

'Blade shifted in her seat. "O-Okay…"

'_So I'm the first girl these guys have seen in a long time? Great…'_

"Cybertronian customs are much different than human ones. For example, some gestures that would be considered sexual for humans would be thought of as friendly for Cybertronians," said the Prime.

'Blade quirked a brow ridge at him. "Such as..?"

"We have two practices that are somewhat similar to what humans call 'sex'. One is called interface, and the other is called spark-merge. Interface is when two Cybertronians access each other's memories. Each participant can see the others thoughts, memories, and feelings, and therefore their minds become one. It is a common practice between Cybertronians that's usually performed as an act of loyalty or trust. This is done by inserting your interface cable into the others interface port," he expounded. Optimus paused. "Do you mind if I show you where they are located?" he asked. The femme shrugged. "Go for it."

Optimus leaned over his desk gently flicked open a small panel on 'Blade's shoulder. She turned her head and tilted it forward to see. Inside, there was a thin flat metal thing slightly sticking out, and a crevice next to it.

'_What the..?'_

"The horizontal piece is your interface cable, and the vertical orifice is your interface port," commented Optimus. He opened a panel in his own shoulder and revealed an interface cable and port similar to 'Blade's. The Prime tenderly plucked the small metal appendage between his thumb and forefinger, and pulled it out. A diminutive cable connected to the metal prong. 'Blade cautiously grabbed her own cable and pulled it out gingerly. "So this is my interface cable, right?" she questioned.

"Correct."

The Autobot commander let go of his cable and let it slide back into place, 'Blade soon following suit. Both Cybertronians' shoulder panels flipped closed. 'Blade made an interested 'hmm' sound as Optimus leaned back in his chair.

"Now for spark-merge," announced Optimus. The femme cocked her head to the side in a curious manner. "The name speaks for itself; it's when two Cybertronians' sparks come together as one. This practice is mostly performed between those that feel deeply devoted to each other. When the two sparks separate, each spark exchanges a part of it with the other. This act, when agreed between the two partners, is called spark-bonding, and renders the two as spark-mates. Spark-bonding isn't exactly like marriage; you could have multiple partners if you wished. There are no restraints."

"So when people say 'You will always be in my heart', it's actually true when you spark-merge?"

"Somewhat, yes, because you would literally have a piece of your spark-mate's spark. Each partner can feel the others presence and their emotions. You can comfort them over the bond, too."

"This is the real deal, then, right? Like a serious commitment?"

"Yes."

'Blade shuttered her optics and leaned her head back. "Ugh, I think I'm getting a robo-headache," she moaned. Optimus chuckled. The femme pointed at him and grumbled, "_Not_ funny."

"If you say so…"

* * *

"Not enough recharge?"

"Too much high-grade?"

"Lecture from Ratchet?"

"Or Prime?"

"Rough time in the recharge chamber? If you know what I mean..."

'Blade lifted her helm out of her hands to glare at the two grinning mechs sitting in front of her.

"Shut. Up."

The twins snickered again, probably talking over their com. link. Sideswipe walked around the table and sat beside her, while Sunstreaker gave her a mock pity look. The red mech put his arm around 'Blade's shoulders, much to her dislike. "It's okay. Everyone always underestimates Jazz in the berth," he uttered with bogus sympathy.

"Ugh! Frag you!" shrilled the femme. She smacked Sideswipe upside the head and shoved him away. He fell off the chair and let out a small, "Ow." Sunstreaker laughed at his twin and walked over to 'Blade. "Nice one. I like feisty femmes," he whispered into her audio receptor.

Powerglide walked into the rec-room and paused. 'Blade was grumbling about something, her head in her hands, and the twins were on the floor groaning.

"Uh…"

'Blade looked up at the flier, then at the twins, then back at Powerglide. "I _swear_ it's not what it looks like," she asserted. Powerglide smirked and crossed his arms. "Whatever you say," he said tauntingly. She rolled her optics and shook her head. "What do you want, Powerglide?" she asked.

"You want a room, right?" he guessed. The femme slowly nodded. "Then follow me."

"I'm not staying in your room am I? No offense."

"Nope, you got your own, and none taken."

'Blade smiled and stood up. "See ya guys later!" she called out, waving at the twins with a grin. They grunted a few curses at her in return. She giggled and caught up to Powerglide.

They walked in silence for minute. "Well, here it is," stated the flier. 'Blade smiled at Powerglide. "Thank you."

Powerglide nodded at her and walked away. "Welcome!"

'Blade turned to face the door again and frowned. There was no door handle on it. She pushed the door, but it didn't budge. "Erm, open sesame?" Nothing. The femme roared and kicked the door, only earning a sore foot. She slumped to the floor hugged her legs to her chest. '_Can't even open a freaking door? So sad.'_

"Need some help?"

The femme looked up and met the optics of Wheeljack. "I… can't open the door," she admitted. Wheeljack crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, chuckling and slightly shaking his head. "There's a panel right here. You just enter the code and you're in," he said, pointing to a small key pad next to the door. 'Blade stood up and crossed her own arms. "Am I supposed to just magically know the code?" she demanded.

Wheeljack raised his hands in surrender. "Don't blame me. Powerglide was supposed to give you the code," he claimed. They stood there, staring at each other for a few seconds. 'Blade arched a brow ridge. "Well, are you going to give me the code or are you gonna just keep staring at me?" she inquired.

"Zero four one six."

'Blade smirked and punched in the numbers. The door slid open and revealed a small room, furnished with a berth, a desk, and a chair. "Thanks," piped 'Blade. "No problem," remarked the mech. He quickly walked down the corridor, desperately trying to muffle his laughter. 'Blade blinked twice before shrugging and entering the room. The door slid closed behind her with that creepy hissing sound. She jumped onto the berth and shuttered her optics. Information overload was never good, human or not.

* * *

"'Blade? 'Blade, wake up."

The said femme felt a hand gently shaking her shoulder. She mumbled a few incoherent words as she opened her optics. Blurr's face was right in front of hers, and _way_ too close for comfort. She shrieked and jumped back, hitting her head on the wall in doing so. "Ow! _Fuck_!"

Blurr stood up from his crouched position and chuckled.

"So, why are you in my room?" he asked. 'Blade cocked her head at him. "But… Powerglide told me this was my room," she murmured. The femme stood up and scowled. "That stupid-"

The sniper chortled. "Do I need to take you to your room?" he inquired, smirking with his eyes. 'Blade playfully smacked his arm before giving him a half-hearted glower. "And this time, I would like it to be my _own_ room, please."

He shrugged before giving her another eye-smirk. "I will… if I feel like it," he replied. 'Blade quirked a brow ridge at him and crossed her arms. "_If_ you feel like it?"

Blurr slowly walked up to her, disturbingly close. 'Blade backed up until she bumped into the wall as Blurr followed. The femme could feel her spark thrash around in her chest, and _not_ in a good way. The sniper traced her jaw-line with his finger in a perturbing manner. 'Blade turned her head away. "Don't touch me," she growled. Blurr backed off a little and tilted his head. "Come on, 'Blade," he whined. The mech brushed his hand against her cheek. "I haven't seen a ravishing femme like you for a long time. A very long time," he whispered, his voice low and seductive. 'Blade slapped his hand away and turned to glare at him. "I said _don't touch me_,"she hissed.

"Perhaps a nice massage will appease you," he breathed. Blurr started stroking the small of her back, getting a small shriek in return.

"D-Don't t-t-"

'Blade stuttered before moaning. It felt so good, but she didn't want this. "S-Stop. B-B-Blurr," she pleaded. "Quit resisting, and this will be more enjoyable," he murmured. The femme whimpered and made a few futile attempts to push him away. Blurr put one of his arms around her shoulders, the other still caressing her back. He picked her up and gently laid her on his berth. The mech laid himself beside her and started stroking her curves. "I have to admit, the Decepticons gave you a _very_ voluptuous body," he purred in that captivating voice. 'Blade bit her lip and activated her laser pistol. "I s-said n-n-NO!" she screamed as she shot his shoulder.

Blurr bellowed and rolled away from her as she jumped off the berth. She busted open the door and ran down the hall. 'Blade ran as far as she could until her legs gave out beneath her. Sobbing, she collapsed to the ground and laid there, head on her arms.

Ironhide rounded the corner and froze. He ran over to 'Blade's side and crouched. "'Blade?"

The femme instantly curled up into a ball and started crying harder. "D-Don't hurt me!" she begged. Ironhide looked at her in confusion.

**Prime, something's wrong with Vertoblade. I'm with her in hall 14.**

Optimus responded within milliseconds. **I'm on my way.**

The Prime arrived a few minutes later, running at full speed. "What happened?" he asked. Ironhide shook his head. "I don't know. I was walking to my room and I found her like this," he said, motioning to 'Blade. Optimus kneeled beside her and gently touched her shoulder. She shrieked and shook his hand off. "Vertoblade, it's me, Optimus. What happened?" he asked in a soft tone. 'Blade violently shook her head and continued bawling. Optimus looked at Ironhide, both exchanging puzzled glances. "Is it alright if I take you to the med-bay?" he questioned. The femme finally peeked up at the two mechs, her optics wide and her expression frantic. With trembling arms, she latched onto the Prime's leg. "I-I'm s-sorry! H-Had t-to!" she wailed. Optimus carefully picked her up in his arms and headed towards the med-bay, Ironhide in tow.

* * *

The door to the med-bay slid open, and Optimus stepped inside, still carrying the distressed 'Blade. Ratchet looked up from Bumblebee's throat and took on an expression of concern. "What happened to her?" he asked. Bumblebee, too, was staring at 'Blade with wide optics. Optimus' frown deepened. "I'm not sure. That's what we're trying to find out," articulated Ironhide, who had slid inside behind Optimus.

"I'm sorry Bumblebee, but your check-up is going to have to wait. Now off the table," ordered Ratchet. The scout nodded and jumped off as Optimus set 'Blade down. Bumblebee knitted his brow ridges and made a high pitched warble. "Everyone, out. I need to-"

"NO!" protested 'Blade. "No alone! No, no…"

The femme started babbling like a sparkling, leaving all the mechs perturbed. "Okay… No one leave," said the medic. 'Blade's gibberish stopped and she let out a sigh. "'Blade, can you tell me what's making you so upset?" questioned Ratchet. "H-He wouldn't s-stop and I-I t-told him n-no, but... He… I…" she trailed off.

Optimus had a bad feeling about this. It happened many times before in his ranks, and even before the war. "Did someone try to touch you without your permission?"

'Blade nodded and started crying again. "Can you tell me who it was?" he queried. "B-B-B…" she blathered. Ironhide gave Bumblebee a dirty look. "Bumblebee…" he grumbled. 'Blade shook her head. "No Bee. No Bee," she gabbed.

All the mechs glowered as they thought of the only other mech in the base who had a name that began with 'B'.

"Was it Blurr?" asked Bumblebee, venom dripping in his voice. 'Blade hid her face in her hands, nodding. "How _dare_ that shady slagger!" snarled the scout.

Optimus grabbed Bumblebee as the little yellow mech tried to stomp out of the med-bay. "Bumblebee, _don't_. I will deal with him," he warned. Bumblebee reluctantly turned away from the door and walked back to 'Blade. He started comforting her in Cybertronian, but made sure not to touch her.

The Prime sent a databurst to Ironhide and Ratchet, ordering them to keep Bumblebee in the med-bay. Each gave their affirmative, and Optimus strode out of the room.

* * *

End Chapter Seven

**pairings: **none at the moment

I made a longer{{ish}} chapter to make up for all the waiting. Hope you all like it! Please review =)


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry that some characters are kinda OOC. My bad.

Well, here's the update.

Disclaimer: I just borrowed them, I swear!

Enjoy =)

~*~

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT  
**INCOMING

Blurr had never been so fragging scared in his life. Sure, he'd been in the middle of a battle field, friends and comrades falling dead right beside him; he'd gotten his aft whooped by furious femmes a couple of times; heck, he'd even got chased by Megatron himself before.

But nothing compared to now.

Now, the sniper was about ready to lubricate himself as he stared into the blazing sapphire optics that were glaring back at him, mere inches from his own facial plates. The hand holding him against the wall began to press harder against his chest plates.

"Why? _Why_ would you do such a thing?" growled the mech compressing him against the wall.

Blurr's intakes starting malfunctioning, his 'breathing' becoming shallower and erratic, as he squirmed in the mech's grasp. The other mech made a snarling sound and slammed Blurr into the wall. The sniper yelped and started trembling all over. '_Primus, have mercy…'_

"I would expect this kind of behavior from a Decepticon, but from _you_? Inadmissible," spat the mech.

"P-Please, I-I f-fell into s-selfish c-cra- AH!" Blurr howled as the grip on his chests plates became tighter, the pressure contorting his armor. "P-Please! S-Stop!" he cried. "_Prime_!"

Optimus narrowed his optics into a dangerous squint. "Doesn't that sound familiar? Do you _comprehend_ the meaning of stop?" he hissed in a dark voice. "Or does it adjust to your urges?"

The commander gave the smaller mech a violent shake. "I-I'm sorry! P-Please forgive me!" wailed the sniper. Optimus dropped Blurr, letting him collapse to the floor. "Don't apologize to me. Apologize to the one you violated," grumbled the Prime. He walked out of the brig, leaving the blubbering mech alone.

The door automatically slid closed behind him, and the Prime released a sigh. Optimus knew he acted rather rashly with Blurr's punishment, but it was the right thing to do… wasn't it? _Did_ the sniper deserve that harsh of a treatment? Now that he thought about it, no, probably not. Optimus shook his head, letting out another exasperated sigh and pinching his 'nose' ridge between his optics. He absolutely _hated_ when he let his dark side slip out. It reminded him too much of his brother.

Blurr lay on the floor, still trembling, still terrorized. He'd never seen Optimus so… enraged, so _vicious_. The great Prime had always kept his emotions in check, and rarely ever let his anger get the better of him. He was almost as emotionless as Prowl. At least, until now, that is.

'_I really fragged up this time,'_ thought Blurr.

The sniper shakily stood up, using the wall for support. He wasn't injured, besides the dented chest plates, he was _terrified_. Guilt was overwhelming him, along with the slight pain radiating from his upper abdomen. He didn't want to confront Vertoblade, for she would probably cower from him, but he had to. It was either that, or face the wrath of Optimus once more.

Blurr stumbled out of the brig and nervously walked down the hallway to the rec-room. On the way, he passed by Bumblebee, who shot a deadly glare at him. The sniper cringed and looked at the ground, wondering who else knew of his corrupt act.

Hesitantly, Blurr stepped into the rec-room. Powerglide glanced up at him from his spot on the makeshift couch before immediately lowering his gaze back to the TV. Ironhide chugged the rest of his Energon and walked out of the room through the other exit. The sniper sighed and sat in an unoccupied chair near the corner opposite of Powerglide. The flier turned the TV off and started out of the room.

"Wait."

He looked over his shoulder at Blurr and narrowed his optics. "What?" he snapped. Blurr winced at the harsh tone. "Where's Vertoblade?" he asked, his voice hoarse and small. Powerglide narrowed his optics even further at the mech. "Why do you want to know, huh? So you can traumatize her again?" accused the flier. "I'm in fragging deep slag because you almost raped her!"

"W-What?" stuttered the sniper. Powerglide turned to face Blurr, his optics burning. "Wheeljack and I got our afts yelled off by the Prime for pullin' that prank on poor 'Blade," hissed Powerglide. Blurr grumbled something incoherent to the wall. Powerglide took a few menacing steps towards the sniper. "What did you say?" he demanded. Blurr looked him straight in the optic. "I said, 'At least you guys got it off lucky,'" mumbled the blue mech.

Powerglide shook his head at Blurr and jabbed a finger at the sniper's chest. "You deserve _worse_ than that! _You_ got lucky!" bellowed the red mech. Blurr looked away in shame. The flier shook his head again and stomped out of the room.

"If you're looking for me, I'm right here."

Blurr looked up and saw 'Blade standing in the door way. She had her arms crossed and was frowning at him, but he could see the uneasiness and fear in her optics. "'Blade…" his voice cracked, trailing off, as he put his helm in his hands. "I… I was so _stupid_ and _selfish_. I will never forgive myself for hurting you like that."

He felt a hand gently touch his shoulder for a brief moment. "I admit, I can't truly forgive you yet, but I know that… you're probably a nice mech on the inside. Wow, that sounds cheesy," she confessed. He uttered a half-hearted chuckle. "I… I'm gonna go to my quarters if you don't mind," he said abruptly. 'Blade nodded and backed away.

Both jumped at the sound of a high pitched alarm. Blurr jerked out of his chair and powered up his rifle. 'Blade automatically activated her razor claws and stepped back. "What's going on?" she demanded. Blurr ran out of the rec-room and to the main control center, 'Blade right behind.

Optimus and the others were standing before a large computer screen. "Intruders?" guessed the sniper. His statement went ignored. "Teletraan I, give a visual of the incoming object," requested the Prime. The super-computer's screen opened a window showing a blur of white with black dots.

"Enhance visual and define alternative mode."

The window closed and a new one expanded. The image showed a white jet with black scorch marks on its wings, and its flying dangerously wobbly. 'Alternative mode: VF-1S Super Valkyrie. Cybertronian signal; Decepticon' appeared in bold black Cybertronian writing to the right of the picture.

"That thing's headed straight for the base," warned Wheeljack.

'Blade gasped at the screen. _'It… It can't be… But it is! YES!'_ She retracted her claws, transformed, and sped out of the command center.

All the mechs turned and watched the Audi burn rubber. "Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, follow her," ordered Optimus. The twins nodded in acknowledgement and transformed, taking off after 'Blade. "What the frag is she doin'?" mumbled Jazz. The Prime shook his head, equally perplexed. "I don't know, but let's get out there and find out."

The mechs ran to the closest exit.

* * *

'Blade transformed and slid to a stop right before she collided with the gates. She looked up into the sky and saw the jet coming closer and closer. A wide smile took over her face as she watched it approach. The twins transformed and ran up to the femme. "What the Pit are you doing?!" yelled Sunstreaker. The three watched as the Super Valkyrie flew towards them at dangerous speeds. Each face displayed varied amounts of horror.

"Oh _slag_," breathed Sideswipe. 'Blade's optics widened with realization. "He's gonna crash," gasped the femme. "HE'S GONNA CRASH!"

Sunstreaker pulled the two away from the gate and dove to the side as the jet smashed through. Dirt and mud flew up into the air, coating the trio's armor with a thin layer of scum. "My _paint job_!" cried the yellow twin. Sideswipe smacked him upside the head. "A Decepticon just landed in our base and you're worried about your _paint job_?!"

The jet transformed and stood for a second before collapsing to the ground.

"_SLAG!_" they squawked in unison. The twins quickly charged their cannons and scooted away from the crater. Sideswipe reached to grab 'Blade, but she dodged his grasp and ran to the fallen jet.

"Skyfire!" she shrieked.

The femme jumped into the pit and touched her mentor's shoulder. He remained motionless. 'Blade kneeled to his side. "Skyfire? Skyfire, wake up!" she pleaded. When he didn't respond, the femme's frame began to tremble. "Wake up! _Please!_"

Another form slid into the crater, startling 'Blade. "It's just me," said Ratchet. The femme slightly calmed, before tensing up. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked, her voice trembling. Ratchet scanned Skyfire's form, mumbling to himself in Cybertronian, and turned to face 'Blade. "He's in desperate need of Energon," observed the medic. He tilted his head upwards. "Optimus! Ironhide! Get your two big-afts over here!"

* * *

Skyfire woke up to the humming sound of medical tools and equipment. "Skyfire?" whispered a feminine voice. He immediately recognized it as…

"'Blade?"

He tiredly opened his optics, and met the soft blue gaze of the femme. A small smile graced her lip components as she put a hand on Skyfire's massive arm. The scientist winced at the touch and 'Blade immediately pulled her hand back, her smile disappearing. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked. A hoarse chuckle escaped the mech's vocalizer. "It's fine. I guess my sensors are still sore."

The friendly grin returned to the femme's facial plates for a breem before curving down into a frown. Skyfire raised an optic ridge. "Wha-"

"For Primus' sake, Vertoblade, this is the _last_ time I will tell you. Get your tiny aft _out _of my med-bay!" bellowed Ratchet. "He needs to rest!"

'Blade rolled her optics and muttered, "Grouchy fragger," as she walked out of the med-bay. Skyfire turned his head away from the medic and let out a stifled guffaw. A piercing sound, almost like a bell ringing, pealed throughout the room. The scientist turned to where the sound originated from and gasped, his optics almost popping out of his head.

He looked at the medic. "You _didn't_…"

"I… Slag. I did."

"You're fragged."

"I know. I'm still not used to having a femme in the ba-"

"YOU SON OF A FUCKING PIT-SPAWNED _BITCH_!"

'Blade turned around, her optics blazing and fists clenched. Ratchet staggered back a few steps, putting Skyfire between the femme and himself. The scientist gave a fearful glance to the medic. "Don't use me as a shield!" he hissed. Ratchet gulped and stepped around the table, right in front of the infuriated femme.

He was six feet taller than her, but Ratchet had quickly learned to _never_ underestimate a femme because of her size. She was actually on the taller side, now that he looked.

"How _dare_ you!" she screeched, painfully loud. "You put a _fucking_ dent in my _fucking_ head with a Primus-damn _wrench_; you mother-fucking aft head!"

Ratchet cringed at the high decibel of her shrill voice. This was _not_ going to end well…

* * *

"Got it?"

The medic shivered and nodded. 'Blade smirked and walked out of the med-bay, her head victoriously high in the air. Skyfire chuckled, having watched his pupil use Ratchet for target practice with his own medical tools. Ratchet gave the scientist a deadly glare. "_Don't_ ridicule me, Skyfire. I can and _will_ turn you into a blender if I so feel like it," he warned. Skyfire immediately wiped the smirk off his face and quieted.

Ratchet picked up a clean clamp and began working on the scientist's mangled arm.

"Why did you come here?"

Skyfire blinked twice and looked at the medic. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you come to the Autobot base?" repeated Ratchet.

"I've been planning on defecting from the Decepticons for a while now. I just never had a reason to actually come to the Autobot base until now."

Ratchet quirked a brow ridge at him. The scientist sighed.

"I'm not sure if she's told you yet, but I was 'Blade's mentor back at the Decepticon base."

The medic paused in his work, a scalpel still hovering over a charred piece of armor. "She never informed us of that fact. What did you instruct her in?" he questioned, resuming back to his work. Skyfire looked away from the incision Ratchet was making. "I showed her how to transform, activate her weapons, project a hologram, and databurst," replied the white mech.

"No shooting practice?" asked the medic, his tone taunting. Skyfire scowled and replayed an audio tape. "_You are a scientist, not a trained combat fighter. I cannot allow you to train the femme_."

Ratchet shook his head as he listened, his frown deepening. "So who taught her how to throw wrenches and hammers so well?" he queried. Skyfire scoffed. "Soundwave and Barricade."

The medic nodded and removed the singed plating.

The rest of the patch ups took about an hour, the two mechs remaining silent for the whole time.

"Does everything feel functional?" inquired Ratchet. Skyfire flexed his fingers on his right hand and nodded. "Good as new. Thank you, Ratchet," he affirmed. The medic nodded and stepped back, allowing Skyfire off the berth. "Report to Prime's office. He would like to speak with you," instructed Ratchet. Skyfire opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the chartreuse mech. "Go right down the hall and it should be the fifth door on the left."

Skyfire nodded, thanked Ratchet again, and headed for the Autobot commander's office.

* * *

End Chapter Eight

**pairings: **none at the moment

Okay, some of the characters were really OOC. I'm sorry! *hides behind Bumblebee*

Reviews are much appreciated. I'll be sure to return the favor =)


	9. Chapter 9

I finally got it out. Hallelujah! It's a miracle! And I'm going on vacation this Thursday so the next update won't come in a while... Hopefully it won't take as long as this one did. Kinda half-assed it at the end... Sorry people. =/

Transformers: They're not mine.

Enjoy =)

~*~

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE  
**DEFECT, PLEASE?

Small arms wrapped around the scientist's waist as he stepped out of the med-bay. Skyfire looked down and saw 'Blade's bright blue optics staring back up at him. "Hello, 'Blade," he greeted. The femme continued to hold onto his midsection. "I can't believe it worked. It really worked!" she squealed. Skyfire chuckled and rubbed the top of her head affectionately. "It was half tactics and half miracles."

The scientist didn't expect the slap to the back of his head. "Ow! What—"

"If you ever do something stupid like that again, I'm going to have to kick your ass." 'Blade stood in front of him, arms crossed and scowling. Her optics widened as she remembered something. "Oh crap! I was supposed to meet the twins—_Slag!_"

"Um, I'll talk to you later?" questioned 'Blade. The scientist nodded. 'Blade beamed back at him before taking off down the hall. Skyfire couldn't help but smile at her ridiculous franticness.

"Finally," grumbled a gruff voice. Skyfire, startled at the brusqueness of the tone, jumped and stumbled into the door's frame. Ironhide shook his head and mumbled, "Slaggin' clumsy Deceptiscum," under his breath. "I'm your escort to the Prime's office," he announced. The shorter mech noticed the surprised look in Skyfire's optics and added, "Just 'cause you claim to have taught 'Blade to fight doesn't mean we'll let you frolic all around the base." The scientist didn't bother correcting Ironhide about what he taught the femme, knowing full well that he would probably end up meeting the old weapon specialist's infamous cannons.

Grunting, the war veteran signaled for Skyfire to follow him down the corridor. Skyfire noted how much crisper and cleaner things seemed to be compared to the Decepticon base.

The two mechs passed by an open area filled with Cybertronian- and human-sized furniture. The much smaller furniture was placed on top of tables, along with what appeared to be food dispensers. The only other occupants in the room were Bumblebee and a couple of humans, two of them teens and the other a military-type adult. The Camaro inconspicuously shifted so that his arm with the sub-spaced energy cannon just happened to be pointing directly at Skyfire. With a flickered glare from the young scout, the scientist could easily perceive the message: touch the humans and die. 'Touchy, touchy,' he thought to himself.

"This is it," announced Ironhide, giving the door a quick, hard rap. He glowered at Skyfire and hissed, "Try anything stupid and you'll wish you were never sparked." Skyfire gulped. The door slid open and the scientist timidly stepped inside. Optimus Prime, in all his thirty-two feet of glory, sat at his desk, his cerulean optics carefully watching Skyfire. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat," he welcomed. As Skyfire did so, Ironhide slipped inside and shut the door behind him.

Optimus made a sound akin to clearing one's throat. "So why have you come here, Skyfire?"

"I have defected from the Decepticons and—"

Ironhide guffawed. "_Riiight_... And I'm the slagging tooth fairy," he said sarcastically. Optimus frowned at his soldier's behavior. "_Ironhide_..." he warned. Scowling, the weapons specialist mumbled his apologies to the Prime and crossed his bulky arms. Optimus shifted his gaze back to Skyfire. "Continue."

"Well, technically I haven't defected yet since I have not changed my energy signal and so forth, but I did, well, attack Starscream and the rest of the Trine and I absolutely do not wish to support their savage ways."

Optimus slightly leaned forward. "Would you care to explain starting with why you attacked Starscream?"

"He was abusing 'Blade indirectly via his Trine. They would have 'training sessions' where the Seekers would basically use 'Blade for target practice. The situation infuriated me, so I took action. I attacked the Trine to distract them while 'Blade escaped," expounded the scientist.

Ironhide narrowed his optics. "How did you manage to get away from them _alive_?" he questioned accusingly. Skyfire sighed. "I… I'm not even quite sure. One moment, Starscream was above me, his machine gun directly pointed at my spark chamber, and the next…" The scientist trailed off, shaking his head. "I truly can't remember."

Optimus nodded before asking, "Why were you so enraged by Starscream's actions?"

"One, 'Blade is a young femme, and two, I, well, care for her."

Both Autobots quirked a brow ridge at his statement. Skyfire squirmed in his seat. "I mean, I care for her in a… in a _brotherly _way. Not romantic," he quickly added. The Prime leaned back and thought over the information. "So you truly wish to defect from the Decepticons?" he inquired with a hard stare. Skyfre nodded. "Yes sir." Optimus kept his scrutinizing gaze on Skyfire for a second longer before nodding.

"Ironhide, would you please take Skyfire to Ratchet to see if he's being completely honest?"

"Yes sir."

"Comm me with the results."

Ironhide nodded his acknowledgement and opened the door. Skyfire stood and exited the office, the Topkick following close behind. '_Back to the medic_,' dryly thought the scientist.

~*~

Ratchet didn't even glance up at the sound of the med bay's doors sliding open. "Back so soon?" he questioned, sorting different medical tools. Ironhide merely grunted in response, basically shoving Skyfire into the med bay. The scientist slightly scowled at the action. Ratchet pushed the pieces of medical equipment aside and sighed. "Let me guess, you ripped one of the seams in Skyfire's shoulder, didn't you?" Ironhide snorted. "Apparently, Skyfire claims to wanna defect from the Cons. Prime wants to check his honesty." The medic arched a brow ridge before patting the top of the table, an silent order for Skyfire to sit down. Ratchet stood up with a sigh and pulled out his data cable. He plugged it in to Skyfire's dataports and sifted through memories, thoughts.

Five minutes later, Ratchet cut the connection and nodded. "He's all clear," affirmed the medic. Ironhide grumbled to himself and commed Optimus. **Ratchet said he's being honest, Prime.**

**Good.** That was the only feedback he received from the Autobot leader.

* * *

End Chapter Nine

**pairings: **None at the moment.

Flame me for my [lack of] updating. I deserve it.


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